Wednesday 4th April 2012...Yallingup Shearing Shed

Today we went out to the Yallingup Shearing Shed, to watch sheep being sheared and the working dogs bring them in..


We got there early so we had a nice browse around  the large wool shop full of Australian made wool products - clothing, toys, scarves etc...

They have 5 live shows a week displaying first hand, the amazing experience of shearing, the shearer was very informative and very good with the children and included them in all the  activities ... this boy had to hold this very calm sheep for ages till he complained his back hurt !!!l lol the sheep was falling asleep.. they are so gentle...

The shearer demonstrated how to shear the sheep... he made it look so easy....

 All this off one sheep

Once done he collected the wool and threw it over a bench and it was amazing just how much came off the one sheep...

Then we were all ushered outside to watch the dogs do their work... It was great to see the famous sheepdogs in action mustering and working the sheep .... Bruce the Collie was so quick off the mark that he had the sheep in the pen before we could blink an eye... and Lawson the Kelpie could hardly wait to get them sorted and moved along ..

Then back inside again and to all the children's delight and adult's too...the highlight of the show... we now got to bottle feed the baby lambs and even the tiny ones only 6 days old... so cute

Very enjoyable show and well worth the visit...


On the way home  we stopped off at Clancy's Fish Pub where we had salt and pepper squid  with salad and chips for lunch and a cold beer...

Monday 2nd April 2012 ...Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse

Today we went for a drive to check out the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse which was built from limestone quarried from nearby Bunker Bay, at its highest point the lighthouse is 123 metres above sea level.



At least 12 ships have come to grief in the strong currents and dangerous reefs which lie off Cape Naturaliste  sharp point.

The lighthouse's predecessor was known as 'The Tub' - it was a barrel on top of a 30 foot pole in Busselton which marked the best landing place for passengers and stores. Later a lantern hung from the top of the pole so it could be seen at night. In 1873, this was replaced by a wooden structure called 'The Lighthouse'. Which was later pulled down. The Lighthouse now was constructed in 1903 from local limestone, quarried about one mile from the lighthouse at what is known as the "Quarries". Bullock wagons carted the stone from the quarry and most of the other materials and apparatus landed at nearby Eagle Bay. This included the lens and turntable weighing 12 1/2 tons. The light was exhibited for the first time in 1904.

On arrival we noticed you could do a 2km loop walk around the lighthouse and we thought that sounds like a great idea...so off we went...but some where along the way we took the wrong path and ended up on the Cape to Cape track which runs for 135 km along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge between the lighthouses of Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin in the far south west of Western Australia. Hummmmmm.. we really didn't have time to walk that distance today lol !!!


As we were walking along I kept saying to John... that the light house seems to be going far away from us not coming closer as it should in the loop... but the view we were experiencing were so nice we just plodded on... spectacular coastal and forest scenery, even little critters like this on the path....

Breathtaking panoramic views of the Indian Ocean, Cape Naturaliste, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and the beautiful Geographe Bay coastline.

Once we reached the lookout over looking Sugarloaf Rock which is a great example of granitic gneiss. We decided we had better turn back....Sugarloaf Rock has been weathered into a rather striking shape, and is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel of water. It is a popular fishing location, nesting place of the Red-Tailed Tropicbird, and is also known for it's treacherous king waves.

Once we got back to the lighthouse and checked out the maps we had walked over 7 half kms... Now we were hungry and thirsty so we headed out stopping at a place called Bunkers Bay where we had a lovely lunch and a glass of wine...


We then went to check out the beach which the cafe overlooked... the sea was so rough, yet people were in there surfing...

In the distance we spotted really big waves at the point so we decided to go for a drive around to it and check it out...

Friday 30th March to Sunday 1st April 2012

Today we travelled too Margaret River staying at a place called Gracetown ...or so we thought... but when we got there the site was unsuitable...the site was ok but the trees were too low... we had to move on to try and find somewhere else that could fit big rigs..


We ended up at a nice caravan park called Peppermint Park which is situated about 8 kms outside Busseleton.


It is nestled in Geographe Bay, 229km south of Perth, it has been a popular holiday spot for West Australians since the 1890s. Beautiful beaches, excellent fishing, caves, coastline scenery, unspoiled bushland surrounds and world-class wineries are all in close proximity, it is a delightful seaside town. It is one of West Australia's earliest settlements and northern gateway to the Margaret River Wine Region, where everywhere you look is a winery :)

Saturday  31st .....we went for a drive around to check the area out and see where we would like to explore for the next 6 days that we are here.


The foreshores are lovely and the famous 145-year-old Busselton Jetty, measured at 1939 metres, is the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere and today is one of Australia's most unique eco-tourism sites.

The building of it commenced in 1865 and by 1960 various extensions brought the final length to 1939 mtrs.In earlier days horse drawn wagons carried timber and farm produce to ships that brought goods and passengers to the district.


There is also a railway jetty to the right of it which opened in 1911, and is not used now.


The port closed officially  in 1972, in 1978 cyclone "Alby" destroyed part of the port and jetty.

The trees in the area are just awesome...and lots of  Western Corellas in pairs snuggling together on the branches..

Sunday  1st....was a very windy day.. and raining on and off so we hung around the house for the day apart from a quick visit to Bunnings :) (John had to get his fix) and I made a Custard rice pudding yum !!!

Monday 26th March to 29th March 2012 Walpole

Monday 26th March 2012

Didn't do a lot today, our last day in Albury.....just got organised and packed up ready to leave tomorrow...

Went into town and had a nice lunch...also went to the Oyster Barn and bought a dozen Oysters..yum

Had our final happy hour with Mark and Sue...and headed to bed for an early night....

Tuesday 27th March  to Thursday 29th March 2012

We didn't have to travel too far today just over 100kms... we are staying in a little fishing bay called Rest Point.. it overlooks one of the finest fishing grounds in the State,so we were told...and looking at the pictures on the wall in the office I think its true to form...it is at the junction of the Walpole & Nornalup Inlets, and is in the centre of Walpole Nornalup National Park.

For the next 3 days we didn't intend to do too much but just relax and enjoy...

We went for a drive on Wednesday to have a look at the "Giant Tingle Trees" where we had to turn off onto a dirt road into the forest... OMG the corrugation was shocking..we got tossed and turned a bit travelling on this road...

We stopped on the way to take in the view of  the Nornalup Inlet and the Frankland River. Rocky Head and Saddle Island can be seen in the distance.

It is an 800 metre walk from the forested car park, to the Giant Tingle Tree, the path is well kept and an easy walk..... you travel through this winding path through wilderness. 

Passing many other different types of tree's...... huge trees !!!!

The walk is lined with information which  teaches you about the forest and the wildlife as you stroll. Benches are placed at intervals with nooks for relaxing along the way.

This Giant Tingle Tree is special because it the oldest living eucalypt in the world. They can grow up to 75m high and this tree as a girth of 24 metres .. it is over 400 years old !!!

On our walk back we passed a couple and said hello., They asked us if we owned the truck with the scooter on the back...and we thought oh no whats wrong now !!  but to our delight he said he had picked up a bike ramp in the middle of the track coming in and asked if it could be ours... hummmm it was...thank goodness they were honest and we happen to bump into them...Once back at the tuck John surveyed the situation and the road had been that bumpy it had opened the latch on the straps holding the rack down ...Phew !!! luck was on our side this time...

Thursday 29th March 2012

We just relaxed today and packed up ready to leave tomorrow..Every night while we have been here, just as it's going dark.... the kangaroo's come out to play ... heaps of them every where and really big one's too..John said they are big grey's...but it's always been too dark to take pictures...and at night time here its pitch dark as no street lights etc... so I wasn't game enough to go walking around outside trying to get a good picture..But tonight I managed to get them just as they were arriving... and got some nice shots of the sunset too...